This take on the
campfire scene was done by Crowsmack, the artist that also made some
super cool wallpapers for Dark Souls! It’s a total honor to have this
poster; check out the Kotaku press on his work:

Finally,
it looks like Shovel Knight may be close to funding! A MILLION
thank-yous to everyone that backed and helped spread the word. Now,
after consulting with the community, we are ready to announce our
stretch goals, so take a look!

Wait... What are Stretch Goals?

Stretch
goals are extra content that we can accomplish if the funding goals are
met. For instance, if we hit 200,000, then we will have enough
resources to implement a 4 player battle mode! It’s not to say we will
won’t see these features in the future some time (don’t be too worried!
), but if we reach the stretch goals, we can promise them with
confidence! Here is a description of the stretch goals:

Music Player

Sound
Test! Adds an in-game music player that lets you listen to all of your
favorite Shovel Knight tunes. Collect song scrolls in the levels and
take them to the bard, who will play them for you with perfect accuracy!
We might even have some special, hidden songs... You’ll also be able to
hear all the SFX samples, but we don’t know how the bard does that.

Achievements

We
tend to like achievements because they change the way you play the
game! This stretch goal will add a bevy of achievements to ALL VERSIONS
of the game. These aren’t just going to be stock achievements; they
will be creative and wonderful. Can you beat Shovel Knight without
losing a life? Prove it!

New Game Plus

Start
the game over with your weapons and items fully upgraded. However…
enemies are going to be tougher, resources more scarce, and new
challenges may arise. With new game plus, it’s like a whole new game!
Kind of! +!

Playable Boss Knight

Play
the full game as a member of the Order of No Quarter! If we meet this
stretch goal, we’ll hold a vote to see who it will be. Expect the game
to play differently! For example, Propeller Knight could have the
ability to hover for short distances, but would be a low health ‘glass
cannon’ of sorts. Even the story and dialog will change a little bit to
reflect the changes!

Linux / Mac Versions

Want
to play Shovel Knight on your weirdo computer? Many folks have asked
for Linux and Mac versions. We hope to support Mac and Linux either way,
but this goal makes it happen for sure, and in a more timely fashion
(hopefully in 2013!).

Gender Swap Mode!

We
want Shovel Knight to be enjoyable by boys and girls of all ages,
everywhere. With this mode, the main characters’ genders will be
swapped, giving us a chance to do it before the internet has a chance
to. The story will also change a bit to reflect the changes. Can you
defeat the Evil Enchanter?

Challenge Mode

Adds
a comprehensive batch of challenge rooms to Shovel Knight. In this
mode, Shovel Knight will be tasked with a variety of mini-quests like
“defeat all the enemies!” or “reach the goal in time!”. Expect things
like pacifism challenges and other rules-benders… and expect some
tough-as-nails challenges too!

4 Player Battle Mode!*

We’ve
talked a ton about multiplayer for Shovel Knight. While full-on
multiplayer is out of the scope of this project, we could totally do 4
player couch co-op battles! Imagine playing as Shovel Knight ( or any of
the extra playable knights ) and duking it out in the arena! Several
modes would be ideal:

·
Cash collecting, where you fight for treasure that appears in
the level. Knock your buddy to make gems fall out and collect them!

· Racing, where all players would have to make their way to the end of a stage

· Last man standing, where the only goal is to slash mercilessly… to the bitter end!

*This
is couch co-op only, not online. We hope to bring this feature to all
platforms, but the 3DS isn’t guaranteed because multiplayer is Wi-Fi
only.

Bleh, I missed the stream last night. All these stretch goals are awesome, I really hope we make it passed playable boss knight!

Also, I read on Destructoid you guys are thinking of mount ideas for Shovel Knight. I used to work at a golf course and the first tools that came to mind were a mattock, a weeder (http://lawnsupermall.com/images/isimages/ATR02102X.jpg), and a turf edger. Hell, even a pole-pruner would be a great concept for a horse :p

more playable characters sounds awesome, and i'd love it if you could use different characters in the 4 player vs mode. smash bros is what immediately came to mind for me to, but i'm sure it'll be good.

@Jeff: think more like super mario war! basically taking the mechanics already existing in game, and making them competitive.
@Drew Newman, Andrés Ruiz Bernabeu, Jordan, Robert, Kyle Dumouchelle, and Kevin Griffin: Glad you are liking our stretch goal plans!
@Stephen G Matthews: I hope we get it too!
@Kyle Dumouchelle: not being able to do multiplayer on the 3ds isn't about the hardware, it's just that any amount of multiplayer on the handhelds is netcode, which is something we can't really tackle for this project.
@Kristoffer Justice Copon: Thanks for the support!
@Abe Bly, Michael Pianta: I hope we get there!
@Kyle Dumouchelle: I hope we can get there too! I'm really looking forward to that.
@Frank: You are totally welcome! Check out the artists' website too: http://www.etsy.com/shop/Crowsmack

Some very good stretch goals there, wish I could pledge more than I can afford already. I really hope it makes it to at least $100,000 as New Game+ would be excellent, plus the music player would be very welcome.

Love the New Game Plus. Parasite Eve 2 had me playing for months because of their unlock-able modes that were mercilessly difficult.

Gender Swap AWESOME.

Music Player, Yes please.

These stretch goals are spaced nicely, and I think placing a 4 player battle mode at the 200,000 mark is a great move. Should have a real affect on the pledge arc as this campaign reaches the final days!